Chinatown Resident Association welcomes political hopefuls

The Chinatown Resident Association held its monthly meeting on August 6 at the Josiah Quincy School.

Residents discussed concerns about a proposed building renovation, and also met several candidates running in the Sept. 9 primary. Winners of the primary will be on the November ballot for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

The owner of the vacant building located on 213 Harrison Avenue, Bob Chen, presented a proposed renovation of the building with his son, Jim Chen. Currently, the building is three and a half stories high, and they proposed renovating the building to be four stories high, leveling the height to its adjacent building. After renovation, they plan to apartments for rent.

Residents expressed concern on rising rental prices in Chinatown as a result of renovation, safety precautions for residents near the construction area and possible construction residue clogging up surrounding gutters. Bob and Jim Chen said they took out $3 million in liability to help cover any incidentals during construction and up to one year after construction.

Political candidates for the upcoming 2014 election attended the meeting to introduce themselves to the residents: